Nature-Based Solutions Course for Policy and Decision Makers

A two-part session exploring how Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) can address today’s environmental and social challenges.

Part 1 focused on the potential of nature-based-solutions to support decarbonisation and build more resilient cities, with insights from Blanca Pedrola (Bipolaire) and Elisa Peñalvo (UPV).

Part 2 delved into inclusive approaches to nature-based solutions —through a gender lens, data-driven strategies, and participatory governance—featuring speakers Mary Bowman (EQN), Seda Yontem (Ecowise), and Jordi Quiñonero (Bipolaire).

Each part concluded with a Q&A to reflect on lessons and opportunities.

Watch the recording here:

The Panellists

Blanca Pedrola has been working since 2008 developing urban research and innovation projects, relating aspects of sustainability in the social and environmental field. As a professional he has developed projects of all kinds, from the design and construction of large-scale urban project to the development of strategic urban plans, community plans, and sustainable urban development strategies. Blanca works internationally, and she has worked in architectural and urban studios in the United States, Germany, and the Netherlands. She is also a lecturer on sustainable architecture and urban design in the International Master of Architecture at CEU – Universitat Cardenal Herrera in Valencia, and she has been invited as a speaker in seminars and conferences on the topic of sustainability, urban innovation and nature based solutions for urban design. Her interest focuses on the ecological and social transformation of cities for achieving urban resilience.

Dr. Elisa Peñalvo López Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering (Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain) has 20 years of experience in Research and I+D Project Management.  Along these years, she has closely collaborated with Universities, Research Centers and Industry in numerous R&D projects, national and internationally, such as Brunel University in London, Iberdrola, RWE Electricity, Gaz De France, RWE, Tractebel, Siemens, and Unión Fenosa.  As a researcher, her main areas of research are: Decarbonisation of Cities, Energy Communities, Smart Energy Contracts, Energy Markets, Energy Efficiency in Buildings, Integration of Renewable Energies, Consumers Demand Response and Energy Planning.  Furthermore, she has also carried out several research fellowships at international research centres, such as University Tor Vergata in Rome, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in San Francisco, or Université LIbre De Bruxelles (ULB).

Mary Bowman is a founding partner of Gustafson Porter + Bowman. Her experience as both a qualified Architect and Landscape Architect has allowed her to share knowledge and promote landscape architecture as a vital profession in the design of the built environment.  Mary is currently leading a large multi-disciplinary design team for the Eiffel Tower project in Paris. She is the partner in charge of the Stratford Cross landscape and the recently completed King Charles Street Quad. Mary has collaborated on high-profile projects ranging from the Treasury Courtyards, the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain, Valencia Parque Central in Spain and the Marina One development in Singapore. Mary studied architecture at the University of Virginia and the Architectural Association. She worked for Foster + Partners for over a decade, where she was one of the first female associates. In 1999 Mary joined architects Walters & Cohen as a Director. In 2002, intrigued by the relationship between landscape and architecture, Mary joined Gustafson Porter and currently devotes her energy to landscape design and the direction of the practice.

Seda Yontem is an architect and sustainability consultant with over 20 years of international experience, specialising in health, wellbeing, and social sustainability in the built environment. Co-founder of Ecowise, a DivAirCity consortium partner, she recently founded Ecolocus Urban Innovations Lab, a London-based social enterprise. She blends architecture, data science, and strategic planning to deliver tangible improvements in community wellbeing and environmental performance. Her work supports cities in making evidence-based decisions to advance climate neutrality and inclusive urban development. She has led sustainable design projects including school and office buildings, as well as urban and rewilding projects across Europe, East Asia, and Turkic regions. She played a key role in numerous EU-funded projects, championing innovative strategies in climate neutrality, participatory planning, and circular economy approaches. A strong advocate for social and gender equity, she combines applied research, multidisciplinary teamwork and stakeholder engagement as pathways to sustainable innovation and lasting urban transformation.

Jordi Quiñonero graduated in sociology from the University of Alicante in the speciality of urban sociology, later he conducted specialization courses and master’s degrees related to strategic planning and participatory processes. In this last field he obtained in 2009 the degree of University Expert in Participatory Process Planning and the Master in Participatory Planning for Local Development both titles of the Complutense University of Madrid. Later, in 2014, he obtained the Official Master in Community Participation and Development from the University of the Basque Country. His work experience in the last 20 years has focussed on the drafting of strategic plans, qualitative social research and the development of participatory processes. He is co-founder of the monoDestudio team, in which he holds the position of Technical Director. His interests focus on the study of the urban form and the existing interrelation with the social structure and on the design of methodologies that encourage the collaboration of different stakeholders in strategic projects. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Catalan Society of Spatial Planning.